New York Daily News

Restaurant Corner

By David J. Spatz

Don’t Write Off The Sunset Room

One of Atlantic City’s best-kept culinary secrets is sittin’ on the dock of the bay waiting to be discovered.

The Wonder Bar, in the shadow of the Albany Ave. drawbridge, has been a neighborhood shot-and-a-beer joint since long before the dice began rolling here. In season, the Wonder Bar’s deck—complete with a floating dock for boaters—draws a mostly local crowd with a menu of steamers, shrimp, burgers and fries. (Indeed we spotted a local judge, his wife and friends enjoying the alfresco menu as the sun began setting one recent evening.)

But this past winter, the owners rolled their own dice with a beautiful indoor dining room that overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway. The narrow, well-appointed room--complete with a fireplace—features comfortable tables and chairs and ceiling fans. Sliding French doors open onto the water, and a satellite radio channel pipes in big band classics at a volume that makes for easy listening.

Were it not for the seemingly nonstop parade of casino-bound buses, we would have sworn we were at any one of a number of similar spots along the inland waterway between Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

There's no bar menu in the new room, which our hostess emphasized before escorting us to our table. And we literally had the room all to ourselves. That's a shame, because anyone who takes a pass on the Sunset Room -- or simply hasn't heard about it—is missing a fine, moderately priced dining experience.

The menu isn't extensive. There are a dozen appetizers, three salads and 14 entrees evenly divided between seafood and meats.

We began with eggplant rollatini, two thinly slice pieces of eggplant wrapped around a generous portion of ricotta cheese, topped with mozzarella, then baked in a light tomato sauce until piping hot and fork tender.

A second appetizer, portabella mushroom with crabmeat, featured a massive grilled cap crowned with about a dozen jumbo lumps of crabmeat resting in a pool of aged balsamic vinegar. The three distinct flavors came together in perfect harmony.

For entrees, we stayed with seafood and weren't disappointed. A combination shrimp and crabmeat dish, served over angel hair pasta with diced tomatoes in a light red sauce, was perfect in it's simplicity. The 8-ounce lobster tail Francaise was lightly coated in an egg-and-cheese batter and sautéed. The meat was firm, dressed with a tasty lemon-wife sauce and served atop a mound of mashed potatoes. Julienned vegetables ringed the plate.

For dessert, we enjoyed a slice of light homemade apple pie drizzled with caramel. It was a sweet ending to a meal of discovery in a restaurant that doesn't require reservations. Not yet, anyway.

(three out of four)

SUNSET ROOM AT THE WONDER BAR
3701 Sunset Avenue (at the Albany Ave. bridge)
(609) 344-888
Dinner: Nightly, 5-10 p.m.
Major credit cards

The Press of Atlantic City

Taste

By C.C. Hoyt, Press Restaurant Critic

Wonderful Treasure, Wonderful Food
at A.C.’s Wonder Bar

ATLANTIC CITY—Here comes the sun. The approaching storm made the outside look almost as dark as the inside of the Wonder Bar when we first walked through the door. We are local enough to remember the place when it was all tables and bar area. The man at the door asked if we were looking for the gourmet restaurant and led us to another dining room in the rear. Night and day? We feel under its spell.

Someone spent a lot of time on the Sunset Room. It felt comfortable from the time we sat down on the brown wood and floral fabric chairs and the waiter ran to our table like we were the only customers in the world. Too windy outside for the deck, we settled into the comfortable dining room and perused the menu.
Slices of seeded multigrain bread along with raisin and walnut bread arrived in a little wire basket with scoops of butter on the side. We ate as rain drops ran down the alrge wood framed glass doors and pictured them open in the summertime to view boast traffic passing by.

The server dressed in black and blue with tie was perfect. Friendly, professional and yet not impersonal. He paced our meal based on our demeanor, not on the schedule of the kitchen.

Compliments to the Chef on the Fabulous Red Sauce

Eggplant rollentini ($9) was slices of fried eggplant stuffed with a mixture of ricotta cheese and herbs, covered with tomato sauce and mozzarella, then baked in an oven dish. It was so hot we had to wait to taste. It was well worth the wait. The sauce was simply great and made the dish. If there really is a Chef Mario back in the kitchen, as the menu says, he did a great job on the gravy. No garnish? Who eats the garnish?

The sunset House Salad ($4) was a large portion of cold, crisp spring mix with large cherry tomatoes around the plate. The dressing was a basic red wine vinaigrette with crispy walnuts, salty blue Gorgonzola cheese and sweet dried cherries. Basically perfect.

We chose the rack of lamb ($25) based on a $5 glass of cabernet sauvignon we saw on the drink menu and knew would match up well. Spend a little, get a lot. The lamb was a large portion of double bone chops, crusted with garlic and rosemary, very rare and very good. Wild rice with a dice of carrots was so perfectly cooked and seasoned, we cleaned the plate and the side of vegetables of julienned fresh peppers, zucchini, squash and onions. The chef gets it. And we loved it.

Bouillabaisse ($22) was a large bistro bowl piled high with mussels, scallops, shrimp and white fish. Redolent with summer flavors of tomato and onion and brightened by strips of orange peel with a hint of anise, the broth was, well, Wonder-full! The seafood, however was overcooked; the fish and scallops getting dry, the mussels not worthy of the rest of the dish.

Coffee, regular and decaffeinated, tasted weak after the strong flavors of the table.

Peanut butter pie ($4.50) was a flurry of flavors, Graham crackerlike crust with a layer of dark chocolate, a layer of peanut butter mousse, whipped topping, drizzle of chocolate and butterscotch chips. Everything but the kitchen sink. Maybe that’s why it was so good.

A caramel apple cake ($4.50) was good on a light airy pastry base but couldn’t compete with a chocolate and peanut butter combination. We didn’t taste the caramel and the whipped cream was sorry.

At first glance, the Wonder Bar may look like any local bar/restaurant. Don’t let the looks deceive you. Many places try to upscale so much that they leave the old regulars behind. The Wonder Bar has managed to accommodate everyone in a friendly mix of something for everyman.

The Sunset Room in the rear is upscale. It was like a little oasis away from the rest of the world when the waiter closed the winging doors. Wooden floors, fresh flowers, glass candleholders, a fireplace and all those little touches made it a perfect place to visit. The bright yellow and orange sun hanging over the fireplace and the steady sounds of Sinatra, Bobby Short and Ella filled the room. Ahhh. Here comes the sun.

C.C. Hoyt is the pseudonym of a southern New Jersey writer. You can write to Hoyt c/o Food Editor, The Press of Atlantic City, 11 Devins Lane, Pleasantville, N.J. 08232 or email Restaurantcritic@pressofac.com